The embodiments of the specification elate to pulse oximetry devices, and more particularly to pulse oximetry devices having arrays of emitters.
Early detection of low blood oxygen is critical in a wide variety of medical applications. For example, in case of insufficient supply of oxygen to a patient during critical care or surgical applications, the risk of permanent brain damage or death may increase. Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive procedure for measuring an oxygen saturation level of arterial blood, which is an indicator of a blood oxygenation. In pulse oximetry measurements, two or more wavelengths of light are passed through a portion of a body of the patient, where the portion of the body contains arterial blood flow. Absorption differences in the two or more wavelengths of light during systolic and diastolic cardiac states are used to determine the blood oxygen concentration.
A pulse oximeter, also known as a pulse oximetry device, uses an optical sensor to measure the blood oxygen saturation as well as pulse rates and degree of perfusion. In operation, pulse oximeters are typically attached to a tissue site on patient's body part having the arterial blood flow. By way of example, the pulse oximeters may be attached to a finger, earlobe, or foot of the patient. In instances where the pulse oximeter is attached to the finger, a sensor of the pulse oximeter is disposed on one side of the finger such that emitters of the sensor project light through outer tissues of the finger and into blood vessels and capillaries present in the finger. A photodiode positioned opposite to the emitters is configured to detect emitted light emerging from the outer tissues of the finger. The photodiode generates a signal based on the detected emitted light. The photodiode then transmits that signal to a processor of the pulse oximeter. The processor determines blood oxygen saturation by computing a differential absorption by the arterial blood of the two or more wavelengths (e.g., red and infrared) emitted by the sensor.
Existing pulse oximetry devices typically employ clamp on designs for the pulse oximeters. The clamp on designs have a rigid and non-flexible body.